Lake Zurich Site Destroyed By Fire

A major tragedy-and many minor ones-were narrowly averted Sunday when fire ripped through a two-story building in Lake Zurich's historical business district.

The blaze destroyed a printing shop and the two apartments above it at 37-39 S. Old Rand Rd. It caused only one minor injury, to a 39-year-old woman who was treated for minor burns.

But, in what will come as a tremendous relief to many nervous brides-to-be, thousands and thousands of dollars' worth of wedding gowns from a nearby store apparently were salvaged, thanks to the quick rescue efforts of firefighters and the business' owner.

A newly installed 12-inch water main along Main Street at Old Rand Road proved critical as 75 firefighters from 15 departments, including 30 from Lake Zurich, kept the fire from spreading. Until last month, the town had a 4-inch main.

"Without that kind of water pressure, we could have lost the whole block," said Lake Zurich Fire Chief Terry Mastandrea . "It made all the difference in the world."

The call also came when the fire department was changing shifts, so twice as many firefighters were in the station and available to fight the blaze, he said.

Using three aerial ladder trucks, provided by Wauconda, Lake Forest and Vernon Hills, firefighters were able to limit the fire damage to the one building, which houses Village Printer on the bottom floor, he said.

The fire is believed to have started in the business and spread quickly. A police officer spotted smoke and flames about 6:45 a.m.

Local investigators, as well as officials for the state fire marshal and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, began going through the rubble late Sunday morning. A cause has not been established, Mastandrea said.

The heavy smoke could be seen as far away as Cary and Deerfield, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Department. The fire was extinguished before 10 a.m., but firefighters continued to pour water onto the smoking debris for several hours.

Winds swept smoke and heat into neighboring buildings, causing considerable damage. Two doors down from Village Printer, a photography store and studio, sustained smoke damage. Firefighters knocked its windows out to let the smoke escape.

The building next door to the print shop, an alterations facility for Volle's Bridal & Boutique, sustained heavy smoke and water damage, fire officials said.

Firefighters pulled out armfuls of wedding gowns during the early stages of battling the blaze. Family members who run the bridal store also arrived at the scene early and salavaged important papers and records.

Among the family members was George Kininmonth, older brother of Kerry Deans, who owns Volle's. Sitting on the side steps of Volle's main building, which is two doors north of the alterations building, Kininmonth said he didn't believe any weddings would be put on hold as a result of the fire.

"All the gowns for this weekend were already gone," said Kininmonth, his hands blackened from smoke.

He said firefighters wearing air masks went into the alterations building, with its ceiling on the verge of collapsing, to pull out gowns.

He said the gowns, and the tuxedos and shoes damaged by water, are all insured.

"But customers are not insured," he said. "We're one of the oldest bridal shops in the area, and our customers are very important to us. That's why we're working so hard."

Tony Cazolas, finance director for the bridal shop, said all of the dresses were saved and that none was damaged.